Martin Odegaard says Arsenal are ready for the final stretch of the season after beating West Ham United, calling the next two weeks a huge opportunity for the team. In notes published before the last home game of the 2025/26 campaign, the captain said the squad knew exactly what was at stake and wanted to take another important step.
“It’s our last home game of the season and we are all so excited because there is a lot to play for in the next two weeks, but it all starts with tonight’s game,” Odegaard wrote. “We are prepared, we are ready and we want to get it done.” He added that Arsenal had put themselves in this position “after a lot of work from so many people over the whole season.”
The notes were published in the matchday programme at Emirates Stadium, where Odegaard has written before every game this season. Arsenal had eight days without a fixture before the West Ham match, and the captain said that extra time helped the group recover and focus. He said the week was useful for freshening both the body and the mind, and that a barbecue after Thursday’s training session with staff and families added to the mood around the camp.
Odegaard, who came on for the last half hour against West Ham, said he was desperate to help the team and was pleased that his body felt good afterwards. He played the pass for Leo’s goal, then watched a long VAR review drag the moment out. “There was still a lot of drama after that,” he said, calling it one of the craziest finishes to a game he has known.
That delay gave him time to do what captains often end up doing in the middle of chaos. He said he tried to speak to the referee calmly while the review went on, explaining that there was no point in going crazy. It was a small window into Arsenal’s bigger picture: a team with pressure building, a captain just back from recent injuries, and a run-in that now offers little room for mistakes.
For Odegaard, the evening carried personal weight as well as team value. He said the recent injury spell had been frustrating, making the chance to help in a decisive moment feel special. Arsenal now move into the last two weeks of the season with momentum, a rested squad and their captain sounding as if he knows exactly how much is still to play for.
